Archives for September 2018

The Kirksville R-III School District will become one of the first district’s in Missouri to offer comprehensive online education. The Board of Education for the district voted unanimously to begin a relationship with FuelEd – a company that provides digital curriculum, technology, instruction, and support for classes in several states. The initial program will focus on working with students K-12 who are currently homeschooled. Students will be enrolled in the district but take classes virtually. The goal is to be able to allow students to begin enrolling in the program as early as January. The program would also put the district in line with a new state law which requires all public schools to either offer an online version of all classes or pay for students to access online classes where it’s offered. That would mean Kirksville R-III could earn extra funding by attracting students from around the state.

City leaders are considering projects that will reduce the risk of flooding in Kirksville. The selections are being made based on 2010 report by an engineering firm, which identified areas within the city that frequently experienced street and property flooding. Proposed improvements include: Replacing culverts on Manor Road downstream from Cottage Grove Avenue; Replacing pipes with culverts on Ely, Bradford and Washington Streets; Channel improvements from Lincoln Square Shopping Center to Jefferson Street; Storm sewer replacements along Washington Street from Lincoln to Baltimore.In addition, MoDOT plans to reconstruct some of Kirksville’s storm sewers. They are working on preliminary plans to reconstruct Baltimore Street between Patterson Street and Illinois Street. That work is expected to begin in spring of 2022.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is reporting on a vehicle chase that happened in Paris. On Wednesay evening at around 7:30, a Monroe County Sheriff’s Deputy attempted a traffic stop after responding to a citizen complaint about the vehicle’s reckless driving. A deputy later located the vehicle and observed several traffic violations leading to the traffic stop. The vehicle failed to yield for the deputy and proceeded eastbound on US 24 from Paris. The deputy requested assistance from other officers. One patrol vehicle was struck during the attempts to stop the vehicle which lasted several minutes. The vehicle was eventually disabled by utilizing a tire deflation device and the driver was taken into custody pending formal charges. The only injuries reported were minor injuries to the suspect. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Monroe City Police Department and the Missouri State Highway Patrol..

The Missouri State Highway Patrol encourages you to download the MSHP app to stay informed and communicate any suspicious actions back to the agency. The app is available for both Android and Apple products. When “Public Access,” is selected, no password is required. This past Tuesday was national awareness day for “See something, Say something,” a reminder to stay aware of suspicious activity and to report suspicious activity when it happens. The mobile app helps the public do that by providing three outlets to instantly report crime tips and suspicious activity: See Something — This enables you to record details about criminal behavior or safety concerns and send them to MSHP, Photo Tip — You can send a picture of any crime or suspicious activity and include incident information, and Crime Tips — Provides a way for you to submit crime tips to MSHP.

Truman State University will host a variety of events throughout the weekend to welcome the large number of families visiting Kirksville. As for sports – there’s vollebyall, women’s tennis, baseball and softball scrimmages scheduled throughout the weekend. The Del and Norma Robison Planetarium will host shows throughout the day tomorrow. Truman will feature a wide variety of cultural events throughout the weekend as well beginning with the popular Jazz Bands concert at 8 p.m. this evening and the Wind Symphony concert, “Fiesta: Music of the Americas,” at 2 p.m. Sunday. Both events are in Baldwin Auditorium. There are also shows by the The University Art Gallery and Truman Theatre Department. See more information on the events planned for the weekend at truman.edu. I’m Karen Johnson.

The father who allegedly played video games while his three year old wandered away and fell into a nearby pond was arraigned in Adair County. Theodore Holloway, 28, of Kirksville, was charged Friday with abuse or neglect of a child. Police were called when the mother returned from running some errands and found the child missing. Holloway said he gave the toddler a bottle and put him down for a nap. He claims the child must have gotten out through a broken door on their trailer. The boy was pulled from Spur Pond by a Kirksville police officer searching for the missing child. After entering a not guilty plea Holloway was ordered to appear at 8:30 a.m. on October 3, 2018 for a preliminary setting hearing. I’m Karen Johnson.

A Milan man was arraigned in Adair County on Tuesday, on charges of first degree kidnapping, domestic assault in the first degree and violation of an order of protection for an adult. The incident happened early Monday morning at the Kraft Foods in Kirksville. Police were told that 35-year-old Daniel Stephens showed up at the facility and demanded that the victim get in his car.Stephens allegedly drove to a secluded gravel road and began to hit his victim with a closed fist in their face, torso and legs. Stephens also reportedly grabbed the choked the victim, and had a handgun. Officers observed bruises all over the victim’s body consistent with the injuries described to investigators. Stephens, who is being held on a $75,000 cash only bond, was ordered to appear for a setting preliminary hearing on October 3rd.

Police recoverd a stolen vehicle and drugs after a multi-juristictional pursuit in Northeast Missouri. Monday just before 11:30PM, officers initiated a traffic stop of a silver Mazda SUV on the eastbound US 36 on-ramp. The Mazda came to a stop on the on-ramp but quickly sped away as the officer exited their patrol vehicle. The Mazda continued eastbound on US 36 at speeds approaching 89 MPH. The Mazda exited the roadway several times, crossed the center line several times and passed officers on the right shoulder. The Mazda exited US 36 at the Callao junction and traveled South on Highway 3. Two attempts to stop the Mazda using stop sticks were unsuccessful. The Mazda sped through Clifton Hill before heading West on Highway 24. On Highway 24 in Chariton County, after running a Deputy off the roadway, officers were able to box the Mazda in and bring the pursuit to an end. The driver, identified as Patrick Curtis Clark, 24 of St. Joseph and the passenger, identified as Chelsea Ann Adams, 29 of St. Joseph were immediately taken into custody. The Mazda was reported stolen out of St. Joseph. During a subsequent search of the vehicle, officers recovered methamphetamine, marijuana and several pieces of drug paraphernalia. The vehicle was towed to the Brookfield Police Department where it was later returned to its owner.

The United States Postal Service is announcing it has now successfully fixed a quirk in the mail system that resulted in some Missourians along the Iowa and Arkansas borders being assigned non-Missouri postal addresses. Senator Claire McCaskill stated a system that had people living in one state but having an address of another state didn’t make sense.In a letter to McCaskill on Monday, Postmaster General Megan Brennan wrote that the issue has been resolved. That means Northeast Missouri customers who previously were required to use an Iowa state designation in their mailing address are now able to use the correct state designation of Missouri.

The new Kirksville pool plans are moving forward without a community center for now. During a work session on Monday, City Council members saw a design plan from SFS Architecture which they liked. It includes: two outdoor pools – one with a lazy river, the other with lap swimming, a diving board, two slides, and a rock climbing wall. The outdoor area will have a concessions area and a splash pool for young children. The indoor pool would remove two of the current lap lanes to make room for an area with shallower water and a small lazy river. The new pool center, which would be constructed at the existing Rotary Park site, would include locker rooms and showers, as well as some offices for Parks and Recreation. Rotary Park’s existing parking lot would be expanded to have 120 parking spaces. The estimated total cost of the project is $8.5 million. Designs will be finalized by January.